My factory built LMT LM8MWS SBR and the lessons I've learned

[LMTRules]

So I bought a factory built LMT LM8MWS SBR with the lightweight 13.5" barrel. Out of the box the thing ran well, bunch of gas in the face when suppressed but no mechanical failures. When I received the rifle I noticed some tooling marks, which I could live with. Not happy about it, but not bothered enough to send it back.

So, after finally getting my SBR stamp and taking it home I mostly kept it stock until recently. Recently I wanted to add a UBR gen 2 and a Raptor SD charging handle, and that's when my rifle stopped running.

With the UBR I had constant double feeds, could not shoot 3 rds in a row, barely ever even shot 2 rds without failure.

With the Radian Arms Raptor SD it actually ripped the rim off of a casing and also popped the primer.

At this point I got ahold of LMT and was told return to original to see if it'd run which makes sense. I did this and yes, my rifle ran again. I did not contact LMT anymore as to the other things we talked about and their response which soured me to LMT.

At the time I was troubleshooting these issues I found that I could not remove my barrel without beating it out with a wooden dowel and hammer. I never tried to remove my barrel before as I don't have another barrel to replace it with. It looks like when it got machined it moved some material into a ledge. I mentioned and showed pictures of this and the tool marks on the side of my lower receiver to which I was told that I had 21 days to return it to the factory to get this fixed. If this was some sort of failure of parts over time I could understand but this is a $3000 rifle that came messed up. Not being able to remove my barrel without beating it out with a hammer is acceptable according to Gene at LMT.

For the price I paid for this rifle I do not believe they should have automatically told me I've had it more that 21 days, I'm SOL. Yes I've had it for about a year, plus the year of NFA jail, but these aren't parts worn out or abuse. These are obviously problems that came from the factory. Maybe I just expect more in the way of customer service but for the price I paid I find the response completely unsatisfactory.

Maybe this is a bit of a rant but I'm not happy with LMT and will not purchase another firearm from them ever again. Let me know what you think, maybe I'm in the wrong somehow. Here's some pictures to show what I'm talking about.

BTW, Clint from HeavyBuffers hooked me up with a new buffer/spring than allowed me to add the UBR and the charging handle. Rifle runs like a top and even has less felt recoil.

[LMTRules]

Also, that was 21 days to return the rifle from when I received it, not from when I contacted LMT. When I received it, or when my LGS received it I don't know. Keep this in mind when buying from LMT.

Spring was bent first time I removed the grip, not when I reinstalled a different grip for the first time. Looks like the rubber is soft on original grip letting the spring walk between it and lower.
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[LMTRules]

Picture of grip first time ever removed. Any suggestions on reputable gunsmiths to fix my barrel so it is actually removable by hand like it should have been from the factory?

[khc3]

Tapping it out with a dowel is removing it “by hand.” Needing a press to do it is not. Unless I’m missing something, not sure why you’d want it looser. It’s not a quick-change barrel like a mg.

ETA: I think that after removing it and installing a few times it will probably move easier.

[amac]

Sorry to hear you're initial impressions have been negative. LMT makes a quality product. And for $3k, you're right to be pissed. Not sure expecting your SBR to run flawless out of the box was realistic. Every SBR I've put together or been involved with has required tuning. Once you get it figured out, don't mess with it. Just shoot the hell out of it! FWIW, that's a badass looking blaster! Enjoy.

[Joelski]

Sounds like buffer system incompatibility. There is an Armalite (AR-10), and a DPMS (AR-308) "pattern" or platform for the .308/7.62 rifle and the buffer systems are not interchangeable. I'm not sure, but the rifle you bought probably had a carbine buffer tube and spring/buffer capable of cycling a stock .308 rifle. This is common with the DPMS pattern rifles, except they use a smaller than normal buffer. The buffer is smaller than what you'd typically find in any AR-15. Running a different configuration, or a mix changes the movement of the BCG in the tube. and can lead to the rifle pulverizing itself into metal shavings. There is no such thing as a "Mil-Spec" for large frame AR's and this results in some parts incompatibility, or at the very least a calamitous relationship between parts not designed to work together.

This might be your easy fix:

https://www.brownells.com/rifle-part...prod44889.aspx

[Bret]

While the machine marks on the receiver appear to be purely cosmetic, stuff like that often indicates poor QC and would bother the crap out of me if I paid $3000 for a rifle. The galling at the location of the barrel pin is completely unacceptable. LMT has a good reputation. I'm very surprised that they would hide behind their warranty in order to avoid fixing what are obviously manufacturing defects. They could easily fix the receiver and the barrel should be replaced. Perhaps you need to go around those you've been speaking with. If you can find out who the owner (or president) is, a letter with pictures might just get the job done. If this person won't do anything, then at the least you'll know where the attitude comes from. BTW, the issue with the charging handle is simply a part compatibility issue. There's no real way to say which is correct given that there's no real standard, so I'd just drop it from the discussion with them.

[40Arpent]

Let me know what you think

I think you jumped the gun with your username.


Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[khc3]

Couldn't see your first pics when I replied, but are you sure what you show on the barrel extension wasn't caused by your attempt to remove it? I've had literally dozens of MRP/MWS barrels and several uppers of each through my hands, and I've never seen anything remotely like that. I know LMT sends things out with cosmetic defects, even to the point of major components machined incorrectly, but if you have never removed the barrel before you tried to beat it out with a hammer, how do you know what it looked like when LMT sent it out? Literally the only way to make that kind of defect in the cross bolt slot is improper disassembly.

[Bret]

Literally the only way to make that kind of defect in the cross bolt slot is improper disassembly.

That's not correct. If there's a burr along the edge, it can cause galling when the barrel is removed if there's a relatively tight press fit. It's very common when removing AK barrel pins.